


Hello Kiss

by HugeSpnFan



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Prologue? What Prologue?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-24
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2019-06-15 10:38:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15411096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HugeSpnFan/pseuds/HugeSpnFan
Summary: So let me start by saying, it pains me too much to leave Remus and Sirius dead, so they aren't. They are professors at Hogwarts where Harry decided to join his friends for an 8th year. Desperate to move on from the war, the students find themselves getting along rather well. Harry feels he might actually remember what it was like to be happy.





	Hello Kiss

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the first day of a 30 day challenge. The prompt was simply, "Hello Kiss"

It had been a difficult decision for him. Afterall, what was being offered seemed too good to be true. It was understandable of course. His Hogwarts class was desperately behind in their studies due to the war, so it was understandable that McGonagall now headmaster, would offer them the chance to make up for that. For Harry though it was so much more. For him, it was the opportunity to take a break. He had spent so much time fighting in the war and being concerned over Voldemort's rising that he felt like he had no idea who he was. He knows that during his earlier years at Hogwarts he had been frustrated with the number of people who had only seen him as “The-Boy-Who-Lived,” but he couldn’t for the life of him remember what else he was. He had thought that maybe if he attended an 8th year, he could focus on his school work and friends. Maybe it would be enough for him to figure out who he was. But what if it wasn’t? What if he went and just fell into a sullen routine only to waste an entire year and end up at the Ministry anyways? Would it be better for him to become an auror right away? To face the aftermath of the war? To witness more violence and be relied on again? Did he even want that? He had attempted to explain this to Sirius and Remus hoping to get some sort of advice, but they expressed their complete support no matter what he chose, and that didn’t really help him make a decision did it? 

Harry had been so relieved to see the both of them waiting for him at Hogwarts after the war. It had been close for the both of them. Both Harry and Remus had believed Sirius to be dead after… But Remus held Harry back, saved him from doing something stupid, and they mourned. They were ecstatic to find a large dog come barreling at them after the war. And when that dog turned into a man with long hair and a huge grin on his face, neither man felt it was worth hiding their tears anymore. To this day, no one is entirely sure how Sirius survived. No one bothered to question it. He was alive. That’s all that mattered. Harry stayed with him in Grimmauld Place. He made Harry smile and laugh in ways he hadn’t in a long time. So when he and Remus had been asked to take up teaching positions at Hogwarts, Harry’s decision was made. He would finish out his 8th year and determine what to do from there. At least, he would have his friends. 

So here he was, gazing at the Hogwarts Express. He could do this. Lost in his own thoughts, he barely noticed Ron and Hermione running towards him. Startled by their rough embraces, he couldn’t help but smile. He had missed this. He could only hope that he could figure out to be the friend that they remember him to be. The two pulled away from Harry to smile at their new professors. 

Sirius would be teaching Potions and Remus would be returning to his Defense Against the Dark Arts position. He had been concerned with the public’s receptivity to this knowing… Well knowing what he was, but the media appeared to favor other topics lately, including the daily life of Harry Potter. Remus had been having a hard time believing this oversight to last, but Sirius was optimistic enough for the both of them. Really, what could be better than teaching his godson at Hogwarts beside one of his best friends? 

“Alright kids, we had better get loaded on to the train, if we intend to actually ride it,” Remus stated. He and Sirius would be taking the express as well. It was easier this way really. 

They hauled their luggage on to the train, Sirius insisting on being more help than was strictly necessary, but they smiled and laughed as the made their way to a thankfully empty compartment as there were enough of them to fill it. 

“Are you excited for your studies?” Rumus asked the group once they had been seated. “I imagine Miss Granger is,” he announced with a small smirk. 

“Actually, I am honestly concerned about how this year will go. I feel like it may be… uncomfortable trying to cram us all together after what we’ve been through. Are we really expected to pretend nothing happened?” Hermione stated.

“Of course not. That would hardly be healthy. I think the goal is to help you move on, accept that everything that could have been done has been and that everyone did their best despite the consequences. I think it will be healthy for you to work through that in a familiar setting,” Sirius joined in. Harry couldn’t help but agree. It was one of the reasons he was here. 

The group talked and joked mostly at Sirius’ expense but he was a good sport about it. Harry bought snacks for everyone no matter how much Sirius insisted he pay citing the fact that Harry wasn’t the only one who inherited a small fortune. It was the first time he rode the train where he didn’t spend most of it trying to catch up on homework since Sirius would never lock Harry’s stuff in a closet. The ride seemed mournfully short as they were soon pulling up to Hogwarts and the first years were being separated. 

After he stepped off the express, Harry quickly found himself in very large arms. Hagrid’s. Remus and Sirius had to quickly leave to join the other professors but Hagrid had yet to let up. 

“Harry! Glad’ya could make it. I was worried I’d said goodbye ta yah for the last time ‘n didn’t even know it.”

“I’d have written to you even if I couldn’t have made it,” Harry reassured with a smile. “But as it stands, I have an education to finish.” 

“That ya do Harry. That ya do. Well I best be off to see’em first years make it to the ceremony.” Harry waved goodbye to Hagrid and joined his friends heading towards the Gryffindor table. They talked with a few of their friends that had also decided to return for an 8th year at Hogwarts. Neville seemed to have grown the most since the war. Harry couldn’t help but stare at the man who barely resembled the boy he had been their first year. The sorting ceremony seemed shorter than usual, although he hadn’t been able to attend all of them he supposed. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Would you stop staring at him?!” Pansy whispered harshly in Draco’s ear. He couldn’t help it. To him, Harry Potter represented a life of regret. When he looked at Harry Potter, Draco couldn’t help but remember all awful things he had said and done to a boy who had not been very different from himself really. Maybe, if he hadn’t been such a coward, such a prat, Draco could have turned to Harry for help. Maybe Harry could have saved him. Maybe if he hadn’t been so revolting, he wouldn’t have a mark symbolizing his failures. 

“I’m  _ not  _ staring at him, and if I am it isn’t because of anything but disgust,” Draco responded features falling into the mask of contempt he often wore when he was in public. His father may now be in Azkaban, but his “lessons” remain. Draco was still a Malfoy after all. 

When the sorting was finally over and the students had eaten they returned to their dorms to unpack. The 8th years had not been given rooms in their house wings; there simply wasn’t room. So they were given their own common room and dorms. So while boys and girls had separate sleeping arrangements, Slytherins and Gryffindors did not. Their dorms were filled with four poster beds of green, blue, yellow, and red. Draco thought it looked like a rainbow threw up. Knowing his attendance at Hogwarts would most likely not be well received by those he now shared a dorm with, Draco committed to unpacking and heading to bed. He was here to finish his N.E.W.T.s afterall.

Harry Potter on the other hand, had no such plans. After deeming his stuff unpacked, he marched over to Draco’s bed. 

“Draco, are you awake?”

“Uhh. Yeah. I guess,” Draco replied surprise evident in his voice. He ripped open the curtains of his bed. “And what can I do for the great Harry Potter?” He asked his smug mask returning to him.

“I just wanted to say, I get it. I do. I’m not gonna claim to know all of the details, but I meant what I said at your trial. So, no hard feelings?” Harry stuck his hand out offering a handshake. 

Draco was completely bewildered. He had expected Potter to pretend he didn’t exist while glaring at him from across the room as they had spent most of their school years doing, but here he was offering, not friendship but neutralness. He couldn’t help but think of when he had approached Harry all those years ago, when he had been stupid and thought it was smart to insult the friend of someone he was trying to befriend. Was this a chance for a fresh start? Did he have that option? Was Harry really willing to forgive him for everything he had done? His thoughts must have shown because suddenly Harry seemed to harden as if he had gained more resolve in his offer. Draco shook the man’s hand. 

“Alright Potter. No hard feelings.”

“Good. I’ll let you sleep if you want. Otherwise, I think Hermione and Ron have some firewhiskey if you want to join.”

“No thank you, Potter. I think I’ll just lie here and think for a while.”

“Alright. Goodnight Malfoy.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Classes had been fairly uneventful, though potions was much more bearable with Sirius as the professor. For the first time Harry found he wasn’t wracked with nerves that cause him to screw up. And Draco… Draco had been… pleasant. Harry and Draco were now often partners for potions since Ron and Hermione no longer took it and… It wasn’t awful. Harry was usually in charge of preparing the ingredients while Draco stirred. At some point the two had dropped the use of their surnames and began to refer to each other as Harry and Draco. Harry realized that he was becoming rather… fond of Draco. 

Of course, DADA had been enjoyable as well, Harry had almost forgotten what it was like to have a competent professor for the subject. He couldn’t help but wonder what it would have been like if Remus hadn’t left after his third year. He understood of course, but it was sad that society treated him so bad for a decision like that to be understandable.

Harry had also taken to weekly dinners with his godfather and Remus. It was comfortable. They usually discussed school and Harry’s plans for the future. Harry prefered the first subject if he was honest. He usually changed the subject to his friends whenever his future was brought up. 

During one of these dinners, Harry had, to the complete shock of the adults in the room, changed the topic to Malfoy. Both professors, having seen the boys interact in their classes weren’t shocked for long mind you. In fact, Sirius had a knowing smile plastered on his face that Harry didn’t trust. 

“You and Malfoy are getting along then?” He asked

“Uhh yeah I guess. I mean. I think it just took some time to pull our heads out of our arses and accept that we both were sacrifices in the war. He seems to have gotten over his blood purity shit and gotten himself together to be a half decent man I guess.” Harry said with a small blush. He meant it, but it was rather shocking when one considered the history he and Draco had.

After that, Draco had slowly joined Harry’s friend group. Even Ron had managed to warm up to him. It truly spoke to the amount of effort all of the students were willing to put in to get over the war. It took a while for everyone to realize that they had ALL suffered, and that for the first time they were all on the same side, the recovering one. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Hey Harry, wanna play quidditch? Seeker against seeker? It’s a bit chilly but bad for November.” Harry smiled. It seemed like forever since he had been on his broom, when really it had only been two days. 

“Of course! Let me get changed yeah?”

“I’ll meet you down there.”

The two whirled around for what seemed like hours. They had eventually stopped chasing the snitch and began showing off the different moves they could do. Draco had not exactly come out ahead in either game, but he wasn’t upset about it. Harry was happy, genuinely happy. The fresh air crisp against his skin seemed to counter the heat that came with his now euphoric mood. 

When they went inside the two were greeted by Sirius and Remus who offered them some choco. Draco was quick to accept, but Harry was suspicious. Why would the two of them wait for Harry and Draco? But as it turned out, choco was actually… nice. Draco regarded the professors with respect and kindness and the experience was enjoyable. Draco had even praised Remus’ teaching of DADA.

Remus seemed shocked by this and stated, “Honestly, Draco I was rather concerned with how my return to Hogwarts would be received, considering how the public reacted to… my condition.” The implied “such as your father” hung in the air.

“Yeah, well my father was a right bastard who treated everyone he deemed beneath him like shit, and there weren’t many people he considered an equal,” Draco said swept with all the resentment he held towards his father and the fact that he had been forced to take the mark. As he thought, Draco seemed to have deflated. “Maybe if I hadn’t been such an arse, Harry and I could have been friends a lot earlier. Maybe he could have saved me from my father’s influence.” He seemed truly mournful now. Regret swelled within him. He could feel tears pickle in his eyes but he refused to cry. He did intend to keep some of his dignity.

“Draco, that’s not fair, to either of you. That kind of thinking puts a weight of regret on shoulders that neither of you can possibly bear,” Remus replied sympathetically.

“Yeah. You’re mates now aren’t you? You both made mistakes, but you both did what you could to fix them. You can’t change anything now. All you can do is try to be better people in the future,” Sirius chimed in. Draco looked at Harry and realized the men were right. Harry was his best friend now. The rest didn’t matter. He smiled at Harry when he caught the boy blushing. 

“Well, it’s getting late. You boys best be getting to your rooms. I would hate to have to punish you for being out past curfew because of us,” Remus supplied.

“Especially considering the things we did past curfew” Sirius replied laughing. 

“Ahh yes. Thanks for that Sirius.” Remus chuckled. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

The students fell into a routine after that. Draco joined Harry for his dinners with Sirius and Remus. It never occured to Harry that he had never extended an invitation to Ron and Hermione, but they likely would have declined anyways since they have been caught up in eachother lately. Sirius and Remus on the other hand, did notice. 

“How long do you think it will take them to notice?” Sirius asked his friend.

“Long enough that they probably won't be here when it happens.”

“We should do something.”

“No Sirius. Do NOT get involved. They need to figure it out for themselves.”

“Aww come on Mooney!”

“No Sirius.” Sirius relented. He wouldn’t get directly involved but surely it wouldn’t hurt to help the situation. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Most of the 8th year students spent their winter holidays at Hogwarts since they had no place else to go. Harry stayed since Sirius and Remus had to and so his friends had stayed as well. And after it was business as usual. Harry had concluded that while he was grateful he had returned to Hogwarts. He had discovered what he was missing. He remembered that he is kind, caring, and understanding. He remembered his love of quidditch and his friends, but he still wasn’t sure he wanted to be an auror. He knew he’d be good at it, but was that a reason to commit to a career?

Lost in this train of thought, Harry entered the potions classroom. They were making some potion that was supposed to make you visualize your life’s desires or something. Harry hadn’t been paying attention to his godfather really. He only caught enough to get himself further lost in his mind. Would this potion show him what to do with his future? He could only hope. 

He fell into his routine with Draco the two spending about two hours working on the potion in relative silence, not a bad kind of silence mind you, but the kind where you and your partner happen to know exactly what the other is thinking and you work with exceptional precision and productivity. 

Eventually it came time to divide and drink the potion. Harry watched as Draco drank his and his eyes glazed over. Harry quickly drank his.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Draco was standing outside a house. Not a bad house, pretty average honestly. Nothing like Malfoy Manor that’s for sure. He didn’t recognize it though. He looked down and realized he was wearing healer’s robes. The potion worked then. Draco wanted to make up for his misdeeds by healing people so that part made sense. The house on the other hand… He headed towards the door. The grass was clipped and there were flowers along the base of the house, lilies. He knocked on the oak door in front of him and heard yelling. Not the sort of yelling he was used to, but kids running and likely causing their mother a headache. Draco was shocked to see Harry open the door.

“Why are you knocking? Would you just get in here and help with the kids? They seem to think nap time is conspire against Harry time,” Harry said with an exasperated chuckle. Draco couldn’t help but stare. This Harry wasn’t the Harry he knew. He was older, grey mixed with his messy brown hair, he had wrinkles that indicate he spent a lot of time laughing and an equal amount of time with furrowed brows. “Are you gonna come in?”

“Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking.” Draco stepped inside the house taking everything in. There were three children running around the house. 

“Thinking about what?” It all clicked. The significance of everything before him. This was his true desire. To have a family with Harry. He thought he should be more shocked than he was. 

“How much I love you.”

The scene suddenly faded and he was standing in front of Harry who still had glazed eyes.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

When Harry opened his eyes, he was sitting at the kitchen table in Grimmauld Place with Sirius, Remus, and Draco. They were having tea. Draco and Sirius appeared to be in the middle of a discussion about who would win the Quidditch World Cup. Harry watched fondness apparent on his face. 

“Yes well while Harry and I love to come over for tea, that actually isn’t the reason we are here today,” Draco said matter of factly. Draco looked at Harry. “Do you want to tell them or should I?”

“What?” Harry asked completely confused as to what was happening. Draco laughed. 

“Fine I’ll do it.” He looked at Sirius and Remus. “Well since the law has now been passed, Harry and I felt it was appropriate to officialize our commitment to each other as anyone else does.” He took Harry’s hand setting their connected hands on the counter. “Harry and I are engaged.” Harry was shocked. He suddenly noticed a gleaming ring on his finger. It was rather shiny and no doubt chosen by Draco. Harry could feel himself blush. 

“Congratulations!” Sirius shouted, jumping from his chair to wrap his godson in an embrace. 

“We are so happy for the two of you. You’ve been together for years, it’s about time the law allow you to be married,” Remus added. 

By this point Harry had a huge smile plastered over his face. He hadn’t considered his feelings towards Draco thus far, but now that he was presented with this it made sense really. And the support they got from Remus and Sirius made him feel giddy. It wasn’t surprising mind you, but it felt good to see it. 

The scene cut out and Harry was suddenly looking at Draco watching him carefully.

“Malfoy?”

“Hello Potter. Have a nice dream?” Suddenly Harry’s mouth was on Draco’s. Sirius couldn’t help but watch the scene in front of him with pride. Remus can say what he wants, but Sirius was helpful. This potion was nowhere in the curriculum afterall. 


End file.
